Is My Barrel Worth the Effort?

[mojo2008]

Hi gang,

I scored a used French oak red wine barrel from a local winery yesterday for $40. I was very excited to get it, but I have a few concerns.

1. It's probably about 50 gallons. I'm not ready to, nor do I have the equipment to make a batch that large...can I make a 5 or 10 gallon batch and still use the barrel with a CO2 blanket?

2. It was used for red wine - not whiskey. Is it a bad idea to use it based on that fact?

3. It smells of vinegar and I'm not sure how long ago it was used. It doesn't seem to be dried out though. Should I precondition it somehow for use with my beer?

4. If I don't use it right away, what is a good method for preserving it?

Any info would be appreciated. I don't necessarily want to cut it up for chips or for a planter, but I'm not afraid to either.

Thanks!
Andy

 

[thetragichero]

i'm new to these kind of things, but if it smells like vinegar i'd imagine you'd end up with hop-flavoured malt vinegar if you tried brewing in it?

 

[conpewter]

I also would be worried about aging beer in it if it smells like vinegar, does the brewery have any info on the barrel?

 

[mojo2008]

I didn't get it directly from the brewery, so I don't have too much info on the barrel other than what is stamped on it. I think it was used for Bordeaux and I assume the vinegar smell is from the residual wine from the last time it was used.

 

[ThatGuyRyan]

From what I found online when I started barrel ageing my beers is that you can remove some Bugs to a point in used barrels but vinegar can’t be removed but I could be wrong. If it was smaller I would say clean it and try it out but at that size I would say it’s too much of a cost/risk. Have you asked any winemakers?

 

[mojo2008]

I haven't, but I may just ask the guy who I got it from for his supplier. Maybe then I can at least determine if the vinegar smell is typical and see how they normally deal with it for their winemaking.

 

[AmandaK]

Vinegar is probably from Brett. Brett produces acetic acid (vinegar) when exposed to oxygen. There are several ways to "get rid of" the Brett and possible other wild bacterias/yeasts, but they aren't safe/cheap for someone who doesn't do it regularly. (One includes a sulfur stick and another includes high pressure water.)

In the end, if you're looking to make "clean" beers with it, I would get another barrel. BUT, if you're looking to start a solera sour barrel, this could work out well for you.

 

[coldrain]

Hi gang,

I scored a used French oak red wine barrel from a local winery yesterday for $40. I was very excited to get it, but I have a few concerns.

1. It's probably about 50 gallons. I'm not ready to, nor do I have the equipment to make a batch that large...can I make a 5 or 10 gallon batch and still use the barrel with a CO2 blanket?

2. It was used for red wine - not whiskey. Is it a bad idea to use it based on that fact?

3. It smells of vinegar and I'm not sure how long ago it was used. It doesn't seem to be dried out though. Should I precondition it somehow for use with my beer?

4. If I don't use it right away, what is a good method for preserving it?

Any info would be appreciated. I don't necessarily want to cut it up for chips or for a planter, but I'm not afraid to either.

Thanks!
Andy

What type of beer did you intend on aging in it, clean or sour? It might be hard to get it sanity for a clean beer, as brett can be deep in the wood. Either way you are going to want to fill it completely or it will pick up too much oxygen. On my 10 gallon system I brewed six batches over 3 weeks and stored the beer in every bucket, carboy and keg that I have, then transferred it all into the barrel at the same time. Another option is to find some brewing partners to share the barrel with you. http://www.themadfermentationist.com/ has some info on having barrel partners.

I would wash the inside with hot 150F water then burn a sulfer stick to kill all the surface bugs. Then refill with water to let the wood swell before filling with beer.

Wine barrels are perfect for Flanders style sour beers....

 

[ao125]

At this stage, I'd probably keep it to use as a planter in your yard, or maybe a rain barrel.

Could probably resell on Craigslist for that as well.

 

[mojo2008]

Thanks for all of the info. I hadn't considered specifically what I would use it for yet, but that seems moot. Think it's possible to chip it up ans det it out for use in the secondary? Or will I face the same issues with the vinegar?

 

[wonderbread23]

If there barrel was allowed to dry out and be exposed to air, it is likely crawling with acetobacter. There is no way I'd place any beer (sour or non) into it unless you can make use of 60 gallons of vinegar. Due to the porous nature of wood, there is absolutely no way you could sanitize the barrel and get it to the point you could put beer in it. Additionally, barrels really need to be filled to capacity to avoid oxidation and acetobacter growth.